A FLY-ON-THE-WALL account of life with Paul Gascoigne features in a new book.

And it reveals how the ex-Newcastle and England star's troubled time in charge of non league Kettering Town was brought to a juddering halt by the illness and booze induced death of his idol George Best.

Already struggling to come to terms with managing the Conference North side with tales of his drinking becoming commonplace, the former Newcastle United and England star appeared to “lose it” when a picture of Best on his death bed under the headline “Don’t die like me” appeared in a national newspaper.

Local sports editor Steve Pitts said: “Gazza seemed to think the headline was aimed at him. He just couldn’t cope with it – he’s a very emotional guy.

“It seemed to destroy him. It was terrible to see. He had been drinking before then but then it became more open.”

Soon after he was sacked, bringing an end to an episode which, even in the midfielder’s colourful life, can best be described as bizarre and is captured in Steve’s book, ‘39 days of Gazza’.

Steve, working for a local paper when the appointment was made in October 2005, revealed with an air of inevitability that the first time people got wind of Gazza taking over as manager was when he was spotted drinking in a local pub with pal Jimmy ‘Five Bellies’ Gardner.

He was installed as manager by ambitious owner Imraan Ladak and for a brief period the quiet Northamptonshire town got a taste of Gazza mania.

Steve, 51, said: “I’ve been a journalist since the age of 19. I’d never seen anything like it before and I’ll probably never the like again.”

At Gazza’s first Press conference there were 70 journalists and in his first game in charge saw 4,500 fans crammed into the club’s ramshackle Rockingham Road ground compared to just 900 in the previous home game.

“Nobody could believe what was happening. They thought it was fantastic, there was such a buzz. At the time everyone was carried along on a tidal wave of euphoria,” said Steve.

Initial results were good. A game against Stalybridge Celtic saw ‘The Poppies’ run out 4-1 winners and the opposing manager saying it was the best display he’d seen given by a team at that level.

“In true Gazza style he presented the manager with a half pint of whisky to drink, a warm embrace in front of his amused players before signing a match ball which was later auctioned for £200 by Stalybridge to raise cash for charity.

Steve said: “That was Gazza the good guy. He was great with the fans, signing autographs, visiting local schools. A really top bloke.”

Already Gazza was being seen drinking but, according to Steve, at first that wasn’t a problem with the players. However, a ‘cultural’ divide between Gazza and former Arsenal favourite Paul Davis who was brought in as coach turned out to be a major one.

Steve said: “Football at this level has been described as like 22 footballers running around like headless chickens. What Gazza and Paul Davis tried to do was coach them like they were a Premier league outfit.”

There was grand talk of bringing the likes of Les Ferdinand and Teddy Sheringham to the club, of the players becoming full-time professionals.

Some of the core members of the team were let go and inadequate replacements brought in.

Disenchantment grew. Crowds began to fall away and the chairman began to get more directly involved, causing a fall-out with Gazza.

It was then George Best was admitted to intensive care after his body rejected his transplanted liver.

Steve said: “Paul Gascoigne had a massive impact on the lives of so many people in those 39 days. He probably has no idea of how much good and bad he did.

“For a lot of people who crossed his path at Kettering it was a life-changing experience. People’s livelihoods and careers were dramatically altered by that short spell, often for years to follow.

“His time there was a traumatic period for many people. Even those who had previously put him on a pedestal found it difficult to see his problems up close.

“I’ve tried very hard to present the story in a balanced way, but there is no doubt it was a very trying, and very destructive, time for a lot of people who had been incredibly excited when they heard he was coming to the club.”

39 days of Gazza is published by Pennant Books on September 28 priced at £9.99.

JUST 10 days into his stint as boss the players became aware of the extent of Gazza’s booze problems.

On the way to a game against Alfreton Town he was seen swigging from a bottle of wine he kept down the side of his seat.

In the book, defender Brett Solkhon is quoted as saying: "He literally fell off the bus".

Solkhon says it was the pressure of match days that caused Gazza to hit the bottle.

"He was never drunk or drinking at training, it was only on match days. He was just over- excited – the pressure got to him," he said.

"There were a few times when he was reduced to tears before the game. He’d say things to us like, ‘You’re my boys, we’re Kettering Town’."

Two managers remember a suited Gazza walking fully clothed into the away dressing room showers to shake hands with startled opposition players. Stalybridge Celtic manager John Reed was laying into his players for losing 4-1 to Kettering when the star strolled into his dressing room.

"He’s carrying a pint glass that’s over half-full of whisky and he walks up and gives it to me," he says.

Gazza walked around offering his players autographs before marching out. Reed then ordered his players into the shower.

"Then he came back in and walked around shaking hands again. Half the lads were in the shower but he just walked in and talked to them."

And Droylsden manager Dave Pace says: "He just got in the shower with the lads, shaking their hands and wishing them well.

"They had no clothes on and he has his suit on, which got soaked. It was strange."